


A Future for Happiness

by lunarsinger



Category: THE iDOLM@STER, THE iDOLM@STER: SideM
Genre: Beit is family, Gen, birthday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 18:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17667929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarsinger/pseuds/lunarsinger
Summary: Birthdays were always the same for Kyoji, until this year.





	A Future for Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> A late birthday fic for Kyoji. Beit is family...

"Happy Birthday, Takajo-sama."

For as long as Kyoji could remember, his birthday was always the same. An overly elaborate party full of important guests he didn't know, bearing expensive gifts that had no interest in appealing to his tastes. They greeted him with hollow congratulations and uttered empty praises, before running off to discuss business matters with his parents— the real intention of every person who came to the Takajo house. As for his parents, well... for the sake of appearances, they called themselves that to anyone who would lap it up. But it was the same as those guests— it was all for showing off when deep down, they saw him as a failure. He was insignificant unless he achieved, but it was never good enough. Nothing was ever good enough for them, and that was one thing that never changed throughout the years. Day in and day out, everything was about money, power, and influence. Everything was an opportunity to take advantage of. It was no different on his birthday. Parties for him were always bustling, but he was always all alone.

This year was different. He thought he would be truly alone this time, having set out on his own, but a fateful encounter at his former workplace led him down a road he never could've imagined. He found himself surrounded by people he could call 'family'— for once in his life, he could say he had that. The feeling of belonging somewhere, being wanted, was entirely new to him. He still didn't quite know how to handle it, and he was awkward more often than not, but he didn't hate it at all.

Kyoji's birthday came around again this year, but instead of a large banquet hall full of strangers, he was sitting in Minori's much cozier apartment, giant flower bouquet by his side and a party hat on his head. At both the ex-florist's and Pierre's insistence, he was dragged there for dinner after work, all the dishes painstakingly prepared by the two of them. According to Pierre, he mainly just prepped the ingredients for Minori to cook, but Minori claimed the love and care he put into it made the flavors that much richer. And though it was cheesy to admit, Kyoji was inclined to agree. It wasn't anything fancy— certainly not something the Takajo family would have served— but it was more delicious than anything he ever ate in that frigid household.

Afterwards, he was told to wait patiently at the table while they continued to fuss around in the kitchen. Fidgeting in his seat, he could only hear bits and pieces of their conversation. From the way they were giggling to each other, he sort of had a bad feeling.

"Hey... Are you sure you two don't need help?" he called out nervously. Both Minori and Pierre turned to look at him, identically puzzled looks on their faces.

"Nooope," the older of the two sung out, wagging his finger at him. "All the birthday boy needs to do is sit there and stay put. Isn't that right, Pierre?"

"Yup! Stay put, birthday boy! Frog's orders. Ribbit ribbit!"

"Ahaha..." The two of them were somewhat scary when they teamed up like that. Whenever they joined forces, he could never get a word in. At this point, he was used to Minori and Pierre dragging him into things.

His attention drifted to the television. Minori left it on a channel that specialized in idol group coverage. Of course he would, Kyoji thought with a wry smile. Well, being an idol was one of those things he got roped into... not that he didn't have his own reasons for trying. Since that day Pierre burst into the convenience store insisting they become idols, did he manage to change even a little? Singing, dancing, smiling— it was all tough to do but ultimately rewarding when he saw how happy it made their fans. For once in his life, he felt like he could take control of his future. The desire was there at least, and he was more capable now than back then. But sometimes he wasn't sure. Sometimes the doubts came flooding in, until he was just drowning in it. What if he couldn't do the next job well? What if he wasn't as strong as he thought? What if he never stopped feeling this pathetic and useless? But Minori and Pierre were always there to reassure him whenever he started to get lost in his own head. Honestly, without the two of them by his side, he seriously doubted he would've made it this far.

His focus on the television was renewed when he heard a familiar song drifting in. The footage on screen was of a recent appearance Beit made on a nationally broadcasted show. The program was a really popular one for all new and upcoming artists, so it was essential he didn't mess up. The pressure he piled on himself before recording was heavy, stifling. Throughout the talk segment, he remembered being frozen stiff sitting among the other groups. He couldn't even force out a smile whenever the camera panned to Beit. His comments only came out rough and stilted— it was awful. It wasn't until Minori eased his nerves with some light-hearted teasing that he could relax. At the very least, he was able to sing without any problems during the live portion.

"Kyoji was so cool that day, wasn't he?" Minori's gentle voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see the man untying his apron as he walked over to peek at the screen, Pierre following right behind him.

"Yeah! Kyoji, so cool! Shining!"

"Right? He was absolutely shining on that stage. Kyoji, as expected you're simply amazing! I bet the whole world wanted to be your princess after that performance."

"Once again, you're getting way too ahead of yourself, Minori-san..." Kyoji remarked with a dry laugh. Princess? Really? Minori's excessive praising of him and his abilities was always too embarrassing to handle, especially when he exaggerated it to that extent. "If it wasn't for you two, I don't think it would've gone well at all..."

Minori glanced back at Pierre, before shaking his head. "That's not true. Maybe you feel like we're just supporting you, but you support us too, Kyoji. You know that, right?"

Pierre nodded in agreement. "Kyoji, always there for us. Kyoji is strong... Makes us strong too! Therefore, Beit is super, super strong together! The best!"

"Is... that so?" His face suddenly felt hot with embarrassment. Taking compliments, especially ones so earnest, was still difficult for his brain to process. Maybe it was because he merely wasn't used to it; it wasn't as though the comments from home were always genuine. But it made him feel like he really was good enough for somebody out there, a concept vastly different from his childhood experiences.

Kyoji awkwardly scratched at his cheek, lowering his gaze. "If that's true, then that makes me happy... I guess."

Minori simply smiled at him. Somehow, it felt like he already understood. "It is true. Now, are you ready for your birthday cake?"

"Cake?"

"Yeah, Minori baked a biiig cake." The blond boy extended his arms out for emphasis, but Kyoji had a hunch he might be over-exaggerating. "Frosting decorations, we drew!"

"Pierre, why don't you get the presents? I'll bring out the cake."

"Yahoo! Presents!"

"—Presents too?" At this point, Minori couldn't help but laugh at his astonishment. Kyoji's cheeks only became a deeper red color.

"Of course! It _is_ your birthday, after all."

A few moments later, Pierre was setting down gifts while Minori placed the cake on the table in front of him. Written on top of the cake were the words 'Happy Birthday, Kyoji' along with carefully drawn decorations in colorful frosting. With just a glance, he could immediately recognize some. There was a frog that resembled the one Pierre always carried, some pink flowers for Minori he surmised, and... his convenience store uniform? There were some onigiri strewn along the sides too, but against the white frosting of the cake overall, he almost didn't notice them.

If he had to be honest, compared to the multi-tier towers the Takajo house ordered in every year, the one before his eyes was like child's play. But it was a cake with all three of them together. A cake with his family.

"Oh no, Minori..." Pierre's quiet but worried words gave him an immediate start. "Kyoji's face, serious. The cake, don't like?"

"No— _it's not that_...!" All of a sudden, his voice spilled out, far louder than he intended. He instantly regretted it when he noticed his friends recoil with surprise. Feeling even more weird for his outburst, he slouched into his seat and hung his head, slightly defeated. "It's not that..."

"Kyoji...?" Minori quietly moved into a spot next to him, Pierre following up on the other side. Kyoji took a deep breath. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, but he had to explain himself. He owed them that much. But, just what would be the best way to express his heart to the ones he trusted the most? He didn't know where to begin.

"You're wrong... I love this cake. I only looked serious, I guess, because... I was thinking of how it's different from the birthdays I've had before."

"Before? You mean, with your family?" Pierre asked. Minori just stayed silent, perhaps already getting an idea.

"Yeah. They always put in a lot of money for my party, from the decorations to the cake. But none of it was really for me. My birthday was just another excuse for them to flaunt their power. When it came to me, they didn't really care, because I was just a failure in their eyes." Kyoji's lips twisted into a self-deprecating smile. "But even failures have their uses, I suppose..."

"Kyoji..." Minori finally spoke up, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. The touch was warm and reassuring, like the man himself. "You're far from a failure. Both Pierre and I can attest to that. You're absolutely incredible and strong."

The blond boy nodded emphatically, taking Kyoji's hand in his own. His palm was smaller than his, but he held on with more conviction than he ever could hope to have. "Extremely strong! About family, I... understand. Family, it's difficult, always. But Kyoji can overcome. I know it!"

"You two... Thank you." The pain of his past was still very present in his heart. Even though he was free and independent now, he wasn't sure if he would ever get over it. He just knew that it was easier these days, especially with Minori, Pierre, and the rest of 315 Production there to watch over him. His life used to look bleak, but now it was bright and open. Like a bird, he could fly anywhere. He just needed the courage to take off.

"Yeah. Now, Kyoji, cheer up! Minori, hold hands too."

"Me too?" Minori laughed, slipping his fingers around Kyoji's other hand. "Don't mind if I do then..."

"This is kind of embarrassing..." Kyoji gave a weak laugh, yet made no effort to escape.

"Shall we then, Pierre?"

"Yup! One, two..."

In sync with each other once again, they took a deep breath and faced Kyoji with their brightest, happiest smiles.

"Happy Birthday, Kyoji!"

"Thank you, Minori-san, Pierre... Really."

In higher spirits now, they enjoyed the homemade cake. It was delicious; Minori was really good at both cooking and baking. The gifts he got from them included some brand new games he wanted, one of which they could play together. Pierre made him promise to teach him on their next free day.

In just a year's time, his environment had changed drastically and for the better. What used to be another day of neglect and false praises was now full of smiles and laughter and warmth. He wondered if he could get any luckier than this. Kyoji couldn't predict how the future would be, for himself or for Beit. But he was certain these feelings of happiness right now would last an eternity.


End file.
